The spark of college football’s pageantry and passion is ready to ignite, as ESPN welcomes back its robust portfolio of the best rivalries, non-conference clashes, in-state showdowns, unparalleled conference championship contests and premier postseason programming.
A total of 13 games highlighted by SWAC member institutions are included in the initial schedule released by ESPN on Thursday. Additional league games set to be carried on the ESPN family of networks and platforms will be released at a later date.
ESPN will carry approximately 1,000 regular season games across all networks, gearing up for the return of a 40-game Bowl Season schedule that includes the exclusive presentation of the College Football Playoff Semifinals. ESPN concludes the season in the Circle City with the CFP National Championship on Monday, January 10 in Indianapolis.
23 of ESPN’s Post-Spring Top 25 teams are featured across ESPN networks during ESPN’s early season slate and special date games, as well as 11 conferences represented and teams from all 10 FBS conferences booked for bragging rights throughout ESPN’s industry-leading college football portfolio.
Games are set for all ESPN platforms, including ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, ACC Network, Big 12 Now on ESPN+, Longhorn Network, ESPN3, ESPN+, SEC Network+ (SECN+) and ACC Network Extra (ACCNX).
MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff Now in Week 0
As part of a new, six-year agreement with the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), ESPN Events will now schedule the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff in Week 0. This year, North Carolina Central and Alcorn State will match up on Saturday, August 28 on ESPN at 7 p.m.
A complete list of games that has been released can be found below
| Date |
Time |
Network |
Away |
Home |
| 28-Aug |
7:00 PM |
ESPN |
Alcorn State |
North Carolina Central |
| 4-Sep |
7:00 PM |
ESPN3 |
Southern |
Troy |
| 4-Sep |
9:00 PM |
ESPN3 |
Bethune-Cookman |
UTEP |
| 5-Sep |
3:00 PM |
ESPN2 |
Jackson State |
Florida A&M |
| 11-Sep |
12:00 PM |
SECN |
Alabama State |
Auburn |
| 11-Sep |
6:30 PM |
ESPN+ |
Bethune-Cookman |
UCF |
| 11-Sep |
7:00 PM |
ESPN3 |
Grambling |
Southern Mississippi |
| 11-Sep |
7:00 PM |
Big 12 Now on ESPN+ |
Texas Southern |
Baylor |
| 18-Sep |
7:00 PM |
ESPN+ |
Grambling |
Houston |
| 18-Sep |
7:00 PM |
ESPN+ |
Florida A&M |
South Florida |
| 18-Sep |
8:00 PM |
ESPN3 |
Alcorn State |
South Alabama |
| 18-Sep |
8:00 PM |
ESPN3 |
Jackson State |
Louisiana-Monroe |
| 18-Dec |
12:00 PM |
ABC |
TBD |
TBD |